AMD Radeon HD 7970 review -
DX11: Crysis 2 - High Res Textures

DX11: Crysis 2 - High Res Textures

Crysis 2 then. With the recent DirectX 11 patch and that High Resolution Texture pack (download) we all know one thing, Crysis has become the best looking game to date. DirectX 11 hardware tessellation is the headline feature, but the Ultra Upgrade also introduces soft shadows with variable penumbra, improved water rendering, and particle motion blur and shadowing. Having been originally omitted from CryEngine 3, Parallax Occlusion Mapping has been reintroduced, as has full-resolution High Dynamic Range motion blur, making the games use of camera panning more detailed and defined. To improve performance further, hardware-based occlusion culling has been implemented, resulting in performance improvements from objects and scenery out of view not being rendered.

The test run apply is stringent, harsh and really only suited for high-end DX 11 class graphics cards of 2011 and 2012.

Crysis 2; we apply everything. Image quality settings:

DirectX 11

High Resolution Texture Pack

Ultra Quality settings

4x AA

Level - Times Square (2 minute custom time demo)

We see that the Radeon HD 7970 immediately shows muscle, that really is very impressive. The card makes 2560x1600 actually playable. And just look at 1920x1200, the last gen R6970 scores 36 FPS, whereas the new R7970 scores 61 FPS on average. That's a huge difference.

And here's a comparative chart, more results will build up over time of course, any card at 19x12 will get a very rough beating from the game. And also let me just state... DX11 / HQ Texture mode and Ultra settings are not a requirement, but as a PC gamer I expect you like something better than console quality... right?

Above, the time demo we use to measure game performance, this is a generic recording not specifically done with the graphics card solution tested in this article. This is the Times Square level.

AMD Radeon Crimson ReLive Edition Driver OverviewAMD is getting ready for the winter, in this article we look at what AMD labeled the Radeon Crimson ReLive Edition. This is the new 16.12 driver which has had some TLC from AMD. The release is not off...

AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB reviewJoin us as we review the new Radeon RX 480, we test the model fitted with 8GB. It's a graphics card series that will allow you to play your games in both the the Full HD 1080P range as well as gaming...

AMD Radeon Pro Duo Preview and DetailsAMD today releases their Radeon Pro Duo. The product is a dual FIJI GPU based product. Unfortunately there will not be any reviews on this product, and that is going to upset many of you. Especially...

AMD Radeon R9 380X 4GB reviewIn this review we look at the the new AMD Radeon R9 380X 4GB. Thus puppy is rendering your games at very nice performance, even in the WHQD 2560x1440 range. And all that at a very reasonable price a...